Cambodia claims all scam compounds eradicated, but rights groups remain skeptical

  • Cambodia says large-scale online scam compounds have been eliminated nationwide.
  • Authorities rescued and deported 58,266 foreign nationals after investigating 793 locations.
  • Amnesty International and anti-trafficking experts questioned whether criminal networks were dismantled.

Cambodia says it has eliminated all large-scale online scam compounds, but Amnesty International and anti-trafficking consultant Mark Taylor questioned whether the underlying criminal networks have been dismantled. Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, who heads the government’s ad hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, said authorities had brought large-scale activity under control and that no scam compounds remained. The government acknowledged that groups had shifted into smaller, decentralized operations in guesthouses, condominiums, rental houses, vehicles and coffee shops. Between July 2025 and August 20, 2026, authorities investigated 793 suspected locations, raided 624 sites and detained nearly 30,000 suspects from 39 nationalities. They also said 58,266 foreign nationals were rescued and deported, while 3,477 suspects from 29 nationalities were arrested and jailed pending trial. Reuters has not independently verified the eradication claim. Amnesty and analysts say the decisive test is whether organizers, officials and wider networks are prosecuted and prevented from restarting operations.

The information on this website is generated using AI and we cannot guarantee its accuracy. Please use it as reference information only.